Damage to home of parents of Fady Yousef in village in Minya Governorate, Egypt. (Nader Shukry, Facebook)

CAIRO, Egypt (Morning Star News) – A
young Coptic Christian man has been arrested near Cairo, Egypt for
allegedly insulting Islam after a hacker posted material on his Facebook
page, he and family members said.

Fady Yousef, 25, was arrested
early in the morning of June 11 in Giza, southwest of Cairo, despite
having posted a video explaining that hackers had placed the offending
material on his Facebook page, according to the Coptic Bishopric of
Maghagha and El Edwa in Minya.

The previous night (June 10),
Muslim extremists angry over the offending material attacked his
parents’ home in Eshneen el Nasara village, near Maghgaha in Minya
Governorate, about 260 kilometers (160 miles) south of Giza, according
to a statement from the bishopric.

“On Monday [June 10] some
extremists reaching a few hundred from Eshneen el Nasara village and the
villages around it attacked the home of Yousef Todary,” the statement
from Bishop Anba Aghathon read. “They entered and destroyed the contents
of the house, then moved to the house next door where his brother lived
and attacked it from the outside. They were shouting against the
Christian religion and the Copts of the village.”

Yousef Todary,
his wife and daughter were able to escape minutes before the Muslim
extremists broke in and destroyed the refrigerator, television set,
mattresses, furniture and windows, according to the bishop.

Stating
that Muslim extremists alleged the post was insulting to Islam, the
bishop defended Fady Yousef, reiterating that he said his Facebook was
hacked.

The young Copt posted an apology on the page saying he
would never do such a thing, and that people who knew him know this
well. His sister, Nermeen Yousef, also posted a clarification, saying
her brother apologized not because he did anything wrong, but because
people mistakenly believed that he was the author of the post, according
to Copts United.

“He is apologizing because he respects your
feelings,” she wrote. “He is not a child to do such a thing, and also
his friends are Muslims and always tell me they are dear to him and they
know this well.”

Along with Fady Yousef, police also detained his
brother and uncle; two other uncles turned themselves in as soon as
they heard that police sought them, according to various sources. They
were all transported to Minya pending investigations, and on Friday
(June 15) Copts United reported that the brother and uncles had been
released.

Yousef is in custody facing charges of posting material
offensive to religion, according to Copts United. Insulting a heavenly
religion (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) in Egypt, where the state
religion is Islam, is punishable by up to five years in prison and a
fine of 500 to 1,000 Egyptian pounds (US$30 to US$60), according to
Article 98(f) of the Penal Code.

Police reportedly arrested 25
people suspected of attacking the home of Yousef Todary and those of
other Christians in the village, as well as others who wrote posts on
social media to instigate attacks.

Police reportedly dispersed
angry crowds and set up protective posts in Eshneen el Nasara and other
villages. They also set a protective perimeter around the village the
following Friday (June 14) in anticipation of possible violence,
according to Copts United.

The bishop’s statement noted that Reda
Eid, a Muslim from the same village, during Easter posted derogatory
words against Christianity, the church and its leadership. Eid later
went to the church leaders to apologize, taking some of his Christian
friends with him, according to the statement. Father Soliman responded
“You are our son, you came here and I accept your apology, we are all
brothers,” thus ending the incident, according to Copts United.

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